The subject matter herein relates generally to a patient monitoring system and method, and more particularly, to a patient monitoring system and method that monitors multiple parameters to identify whether a health-related event that should be communicated to a healthcare provider has occurred.
Patient monitoring systems are configured to receive physiological signals from a patient, analyze the physiological signals, and communicate information to a healthcare provider so that the healthcare provider may assess the health status of a patient. The physiological signals may include signals that are indicative of, for example, a heart rate, blood pressure, or peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2). Monitoring systems may include a plurality of acquisition devices that detect the physiological signals and an operator display that presents the information to the healthcare provider. The monitoring systems also include one or more alarms that are configured to alert the healthcare providers to certain events.
Known monitoring systems may automatically determine when a health-related event has occurred and provide an alarm (e.g., audio noise, flashing light or other visual event, tactile movement, etc.) that notifies the healthcare provider of the health-related event. Health-related events may be determined by monitoring one or more parameters. For example, a heart rate monitor (e.g., an acquisition device) may determine that the heart rate (e.g., the parameter) of the patient has exceeded a designated limit. When the heart rate exceeds the designated limit, the heart rate monitor may issue an alarm that brings the attention of the healthcare provider to the patient. In this example, the health-related event is the rapid heart rate. In some monitoring systems, the acquisition devices are configured to operate independently and provide an alarm when the parameter that is monitored by the sensor satisfies a designated condition. In some monitoring systems, a single acquisition device may detect multiple parameters and/or multiple types of physiological signals. The alarms for the respective parameters may be different from other alarms so that a healthcare provider can identify the parameter that triggered the alarm.
False alarms can frequently occur in which the physiological signals incorrectly indicate that a health-related event has occurred. In addition, alarms for individual parameters may indicate a more serious health-related event when, in fact, the actual clinical situation is not as severe or concerning. For example, a sensor of the acquisition device can become displaced during the day. Consequently, the physiological signals detected by the sensor may be inaccurate and lead to a false alarm. False alarms can be frustrating to a healthcare provider and can also distract a healthcare provider from other matters. Moreover, frequent false alarms, including alarms that indicate the clinical situation is more severe than it actually is, can cause alarm fatigue such that the healthcare provider may believe a valid alarm is only another false alarm. It would be desirable to reduce the number of false alarms issued by the monitoring system.